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Friday, October 12, 2012

7 Quick Takes

1.

Baby,
it's chilly outside!!!!! We've gone from the 80's to the 50's in
just a few days. Boo stays cold now, even when he really isn't.
This morning I left him in the bedroom long enough to fix breakfast.
When I came back, he had on his pajamas, sweatpants, a huge
sweatshirt and a red
jacket...and he was in bed under the comforter. The bedroom was 78
degrees and he was sweating. Boo was cold because he could hear the
wind. I turned on some music to distract him and helped him remove
unnecessary clothing.

2.

We've
been listening to some old radio shows. Boo likes the old westerns
and the Cavalcade of America. I like the old commercials. Boo is
disenchanted with television right now. There are too many political
commercials and too much political commentary for his tastes. The
commercials that irritate him the most are those that malign the
character of candidates. Commercials that deal with issues, whether
he agrees with them or not, he tolerates. You know, I'm the same
way. Stick to the issues and leave off the character assassination.

3.

I
discovered today that Boo has never read The Hobbit, The
Lord of the Rings or any of
J. R. R. Tolkien's books...or at least he has no memory of them. How
on earth could anyone, especially someone who read as much as Boo
used to, miss Tolkien? I suppose I'll download the audio books from
Audible and we'll listen together. OK, we'll listen slowly because
there are some dark passages that might be too much for him on
certain days.

4.

Today
seems to be one of Boo's hibernation days. I guess with the cooler
weather he just wants to sleep. And just like a bear who's awakened
from hibernation (not that I have first hand experience of this, you
understand), Boo is cranky when awakened. Very cranky. And
disoriented. And hungry. I woke him for some medication. He fussed
which upset the cat. Boudreaux now looks at me and flattens his ears
in support of his master's foul mood. Boo has eaten two peanut
butter and sugar free jelly on whole wheat sandwiches, 12 ounces of
strawberry yogurt and two cups of decaf. He's picking at my salad.
He said he didn't want one, but maybe salad tastes better off someone
else's plate. I'll just type until he's nibbled all the salad he
wants. Never interfere with a hungry husband who's in a “bear”
of a mood.

5.

An
update on Elizabeth, the young woman diagnosed with leukemia last
month. She's responding well to treatment. In fact, she's home
right now. Although she'll return to the hospital later this month
for further tests and treatment. Liz's spirit continues to be an
inspiration. Not only is she positive and optimistic, she continues
to tell people to volunteer, to help someone who's really in need
when anyone asks what they can do for her. I need to cultivate that
spirit within myself.

6.

Today
is National Yarn Day. Who knew there was such a thing? Time to pull
out more yarn and start crocheting! By the way, the wonderful green
sweater I crocheted for our cat, Boudreaux, was not one of his
favorite things...to put it mildly. I tried it on him and our
generally quiet, gentle cat became possessed. He twisted and turned,
jumped and shook. He hissed and spit. He also managed to slither
out of his sweater amid our laughter. I left the sweater on the
coffee table. Later that day, we found it deposited and partly
covered in Boudreaux's litter box. Either the cat didn't like the
sweater or he doesn't like green. Boo firmly believes that we need
to keep the sweater just in case it snows. I'm not so sure. Who's
going to put it on Boudreaux? (I did thoroughly wash Boudreaux's
sweater, just in case you were wondering!)

7.

Have
you ever known a child or adult with Down's Syndrome? Years ago I
had the pleasure to befriend Danny (not really his name) and soon
learned more about compassion and forgiveness than I'd ever known.
Danny was placed in an institution at birth. Then he lived in a
series of foster homes and group homes. Danny was very gentle and
loving. As soon as he understood what was expected of him, he was
eager to please. He was in his early twenties when I met him. Some
friends and I took him out to eat and to a movie on his birthday.
Danny had never been to a movie and was fascinated by everything.
His meal of choice that night was a kid's meal from McDonald's. A
few weeks later one of his brothers, whom he'd never met, began to
visit him. Christmas and Easter were spent with his brother.
Several years later, when his brother was able to do so, Danny went
to live with him.

There
are so many Dannys in our world. Understanding and care of children
with Down's Syndrome has improved in this country. In
some other countries, these precious children are routinely
institutionalized and marginalized. Any chance at a normal life is
virtually impossible in their native country. Adoption is their best
chance.

Reece's
Rainbow Adoption Ministry is a charity with a heart for these children. Through the
advocacy of Reece's Rainbow hundreds of children with Down's Syndrome
have been adopted. Adoption from a foreign country is an expensive
endeavor and many parents who would like to adopt can't because of
the cost. One of the things Reece's Rainbow does is to solicit funds
to provide adoption grants for these children. I encourage you to
read about Reece's Rainbow here and about the ways you can get
involved here.

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About Me

We are Catholic Christians on a journey into the unknown world of life after stroke,
of learning to handle changing physical and mental abilities,
of finding creative ways to foster independence
and, most of all, loving God, each other and our family.